This invention relates to a structure of a golf club shaft particularly made of a fiber reinforced plastic material and a method of producing the golf club shaft.
There is known a golf club shaft prepared by applying a metallic plating on an outer periphery of a laminated tube or by winding a metallic fiber tape or metallic foil tape around the outer periphery of the laminated tube for the purposes of providing a fine outer appearance and improving the hardness of the surface of the golf club shaft and impact proof property thereof. The golf club shaft of the type described is disclosed, for example, in the Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 50-88050.
However, with the conventional golf club shaft of the character described, when the metallic plating is made on the outer periphery of the laminated tube, the plating is finely and uniformly applied to a portion at which the fibers are exposed, but the plating is not made uniformly to a portion which is covered by resin. A golf club shaft provided with an unevenly plated surface has a less quality for a commercial product of the apperance thereof.
In the meantime, the golf club shaft which is formed by winding the metallic fiber tape or foil tape around the outer periphery of the laminated tube may provide a relatively fine appearance and provide an improved surface hardness and impact proof property, whereas the entire weight of the golf club shaft is increased and the increasing of the entire weight of the golf club shaft is very significant problem for the golf club shaft even in view of the advantages mentioned above.